


still

by AliceInIdolLand



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Possession, Relationship Study, Sad, Unrequited Crush, it's not happy though, there's lots of talking and stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 13:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15268773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceInIdolLand/pseuds/AliceInIdolLand
Summary: She'd still be there tomorrow, there was nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.Where three blond healers interact with a white haired tactician.





	still

Grima had haunted Robin every time she closed her eyes and every second her eyes were open. It hadn’t been bad at first, but the sensation had grown harsher, becoming overwhelming her at times. Still, the madness of Grima repeating his message over and over in her head soon became mundane. It was the awful background noise that accentuated her everyday life.

In the beginning, even though she had insisted everything would be fine, Grima’s voice bothered her to no end. She knew she couldn't leave it be, that she needed to know if it'd hurt her as it continued. Still, even after coming to that conclusion, Robin only talked to the healers about it after a few months. She would have gone longer, dealt with it herself like she had already been doing. A headache paired with more of Grima's bothersome chatter proved to be too much for Robin's mind. Her head pounding, the only thing Robin could think of was getting to the infirmary. Her brain hurt too much for any other thoughts to exist inside it.

Making her way to the sick bay, Robin did her best to stay upright. Gods, Grima couldn’t shut up, could he? At the thought, the voice in her head seemed to increase in volume, causing Robin to stagger. If she could just stay upright for a little longer… Nope, no chance of that, she thought as her world turned onto its side. Robin had already lost consciousness by the time she had hit the ground.

She awoke to a trio of blonde healers, to whom she told her story as soon as she could move her mouth. From how she heard the voice to how she held it in, the healer's heard everything. The second the tale ended, they were all darting through the room. Lissa sat by Robin’s bedside and Maribelle went towards one of the room's many cabinets. Libra left the sick bay, saying that he would return shortly.

“So you’ve been hearing Grima’s voice for how long exactly?” Lissa asked, resting a hand on Robin’s forehead.

“Hm…”

“You don’t know?”

“It’s been happening for as long as I can remember, maybe a few days after meeting you and Chrom in the field.”

Lissa pouted. “And you didn’t tell me? Honestly, Robin…”

“I didn't know any better, did I? It’s not as if I could have thought it strange, I’d only been awake for a few days.”

“I… suppose.” Lissa sighed before turning to look at Maribelle. “What do you think, then?”

“Well, darling, it’s a rather complex problem. Waving a staff won’t fix it.” the noble replied as she rooted through a drawer, looking for one thing or another.

“I know that, but you have no other ideas?”

“None at all, darling.”

Lissa let out an aggravated noise before continuing to check Robin’s vitals. “Well, unless Libra comes up with something, there’s nothing much we can do for you, Robin.”

Libra chose that moment to return with a sweep of his robes. Holding an old book in his hand, he frowned. “You’re a vessel, there’s no doubt.”

“A… vessel?” Robin didn’t understand. What did that mean, her being a vessel?

“Yes,” Libra replied. “Can I see your hand?”

“Hand…” Ah, the mark on her hand. Extending her arm towards the priest, he took her hand.

“Of course. I hadn’t noticed before, but it’s clear as day now. You’re...” he paused, reluctant, before saying what he had to say. “You’re going to die soon. And when you do, it will result in the destruction of the rest of the world.”

“Oh, darling…” Maribelle murmured, coming closer to Robin. She knew what this meant, as did Lissa.

Robin was still confused. “So I’m… dying?”

“Yes… Yes, you are.”

“Oh,” Robin said no more. How should she be feeling, told she would die soon? The correct emotion seemed to be out of her reach.

The quartet sat together for at least an hour, keeping each other close. The healers seemed sadder about this development than Robin did if it were possible. The tactician felt no grief, but a wave of confusion passed over her. How could this be, she wanted to ask, but no one could answer her questions. Instead, she sat and wondered why it was her while the healers thought the sad development over.

After much discussion, the trio of healers and Robin decided not to tell the rest of the army. This was mostly due to Robin’s request, but they all knew it wouldn't help the soldier's morale. Robin might die in a few days or a couple years, no one could be sure. The unanimous decision was to keep it quiet, at least for now while it wasn't much of an issue. They also decided that Robin would have checkups often, once a week if not one every day. They couldn’t go into this without knowing how Robin felt at any given moment, it just wouldn’t work.

While these measures had been well thought out, the trio didn't expect anything to happen. Robin had been fine so far, so it didn't seem like her situation would get worse so soon. The world proved them wrong the moment purple flames started to leak from Robin’s skin.

She had been in battle at the time, shooting a final blast of magic at an enemy.

“So that’s that.” she sighed, turning to Lissa, her current battle partner.

“Yep!” the healer replied. “Finally, we can get back to-” Lissa stopped talking, gazing intently at Robin. The tactician let the blonde look for a while, but as soon as she was sure Lissa had finished, she posed a question.

“Get back to…?”

“Your arms.”

“Get back to my arms? What’s that supposed mean?”

“No, look at your arms!” Lissa cried, springing forward to grab Robin’s wrists. As the cleric held them up with an unusually tender grip, Robin looked at her flesh.

It seemed to be burning a bright purple, the flames dancing and crackling. Robin stared incredulously, in awe of the lights that skated across her skin.

“Does it… does it hurt?” Lissa asked, unsure of what to do. In all her time being a healer, she had never seen anything like this.

“No, not at all.” Robin murmured, afraid of talking too loud. She didn’t move much either, scared the flames would disappear if she moved too soon.

Lissa brought her hand closer to the flame, taking care to go slowly. She didn’t dare touch the embers, the heat from being too close seemed intense enough. “Well, it feels hot to me, super hot.”

“Do you think it’s-”

“Of course it’s that.” the blonde replied, cutting Robin off before she mentioned her secret out loud. There couldn't be a reasonable explanation for this event other than the fact that Robin’s was a vessel.

The pair watched the flames for a little longer before a thought struck Robin. “How am I supposed to hide this?”

“Oh. Maybe you can put it out like you’d put out a regular fire?”

“Ah, right.” Robin removed her wrists from Lissa’s grasp, taking care to do it as carefully as she could. Picking up some dirt, she patted it onto the flames. The flames did die out the usual way, although Robin’s skin seemed to smoke a bit after that.

“So…”

“Yeah?” Robin looked up, wondering what Lissa would say.

“We should tell the others."

“Yeah.”

After that, there weren’t as many vessel developments. Robin needed to be careful not to get too excited or cast too much magic, as that seemed to cause the fire. Every so often, it would pop up on its own, but Robin always smothered the flames before anyone could notice.

For a few more months, things went well. Then Robin took a bath.

She had been relaxing in the women’s baths back in the barracks, minding her own business. Free time for long baths had become increasingly rare these days. All the fighting, travelling and planning took a lot out of a person.

Humming to herself, Robin decided she would only spend a few more minutes relaxing. As nice as it felt, work still needed to get done. Just as she had come to this decision, Maribelle walked in.

“Oh, darling, how nice to see you.” the blonde remarked as soon as she saw the tactician. “How have you been?”

“Good, actually. Things are going well on the battlefield and I decided to take a bit of a break, so here I am.”

“Of course, darling. You need your rest, after all.” Maribelle replied, slipping into the water beside her ivory-haired friend.

The pair sat in companionable silence for a moment before Robin spoke. “So…”

“Hm?”

“How are things coming with your research?”

Maribelle clicked her tongue out of annoyance. “We’re still looking. There isn’t much on the subject, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

Robin nodded, she knew exactly what Maribelle meant. Still, even if Robin herself couldn’t find any more information on being a vessel, that didn’t mean she had lost hope.

“Although," Maribelle began, "we have come up with a few things you could try to slow down the process.” The tactician immediately perked up at this, making Maribelle smile in response.

“In that case, I’ll go check it out,” Robin replied, lifting herself out of the water.

“Of course, darling,” Maribelle replied, her voice soft. “Make sure to wash your face first, you should look presentable.”

Robin paused. “Wash my face?”

“But of course. You simply cannot go out there looking like that, can you?”

“Like what?” Robin asked, confused. Bringing a hand up to touch her face, she felt her own skin, freshly cleaned from the bath she had just taken.

Maribelle frowned before directing Robin where to rub to get whatever dirt off. “To the left a bit. No, a bit more right. Oh, for goodness’ sake, let me do it.”

Standing up and coming closer, Maribelle reached up to Robin’s face and began to rub at the offending spot.

“Ow! That hurts, you know!” Robin cried, jerking her face away.

“Sorry, sorry,” she replied, although her intense stare at Robin’s face made the apology seem insincere.

“Did you get it, at least?”

“No, I’m afraid that made it worse. We seem to have another issue on our hands, darling.” Maribelle’s face contorted into one of concern as she frowned at the markings on Robin’s face. Four shapes that resembled eyes, two on each side, began to glow a dark purple. They cast a strange light upon Robin’s confused face.

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind, darling. Let me find you a mirror and you’ll see for yourself.” Grabbing the tactician's wrist, Maribelle pulled the both of them out of the water. They would have to deal with this as soon as possible, no one could see Robin in this state.

After Robin’s initial shock at seeing her face in a mirror, the pair had rushed to the sick bay for something to cover it up. Thankfully, Maribelle had some sort of cream that matched Robin’s skin tone well and would stay in place. The noble usually used this sort of product for her ‘emergencies’, although she wouldn’t say exactly type of emergency she meant. Robin couldn’t find it in her to ask, especially since Maribelle had been generous enough to let her borrow the product.

Almost an hour later, Robin washed the cream off of her face so she could show the healing trio what had happened. The markings had dissipated into nothingness, leaving everyone just the littlest bit confused. Even though the marks were gone now, Maribelle gave Robin extra face cream. It didn't hurt to be too careful, especially with things likes magical face markings.

According to Robin’s reports at her following checkups, the marks did appear again. Several times, they had come, only to fade away soon after. They seemed to stay for a little longer each time as if hinting that they would one day stay on her face. Her flames also seemed to appear more often, flaring up at inopportune moments. The words in her head seemed to calm down at these times, but the voice of Grima still remained. It never overwhelmed as it once had, but still proved to be a constant annoyance.

The healers assured her she would be fine. In their private discussions, they agreed this could only be a sign of a worsening condition. As much as they would have liked to inform the tactician of this, they left her unaware. Robin already had so much to worry about, and, if anything, a patient's mental state was important. Making things worse was the last thing they wanted, chances were it would speed up the process. So, they kept quiet.

Although no one said it, the final stage of Grima’s takeover seemed closer and closer.

For all parties involved, it seemed too hard to think about, so no one talked about it.

There were no new developments for weeks, which was a good thing. There was room for breathing and thinking and important things, not for obsessing over the fact that Robin was getting worse. The day Libra found Robin in a field, things changed once again.

The field in question, found just outside of the castle grounds, was a rather unknown place. Ever since Robin had discovered it, it had been one of her ‘places’, one of the few areas where she could go to be alone. There were only a few people who knew of the area’s location, making it her most frequented spot. Libra, as well as the rest of the healers, were well aware of its existence. They were usually the ones tasked with finding Robin whenever she disappeared. 

Libra had only gone because Robin hadn’t shown up for her checkup. She hadn’t been late once to any of these meetings, so her absence came as a sort of surprise. After searching around the barracks, Libra could only think of the field, where Robin had to be there.

Libra found her in the field, but not how he expected her to be. He didn’t know how to react, so he stood and stared at her.

In the center of the meadow, Robin floated above the grass. In a cross-legged position, she levitated inches off the ground, her body moving up and down ever so slowly. Her eyes remained closed, allowing Libra to see the purple tattoos of extra eyes on her face. This lasted for a single moment before a swirl of violet flames covered Robin’s face. Libra stared.

She looked at peace in all the wrong sorts of ways. She looked perfect, ethereal, even. Abruptly, Robin flinched, as if she had felt the tiniest pinprick of pain. Contorted, her face looked gruesome as if she was angry with someone (the world?) for ruining something that was hers. Moments later, her facial features relaxed, smooth and perfect once again. The flames of hers, purple and floating cast a brilliant glow onto her. Floating there like this, she looked beautiful. Beautiful, Libra realized, but nothing about her seemed natural. Nothing about her looked human, not when she was like this.

The priest cringed. This couldn’t be right, it couldn’t be Robin, not the Robin that he appreciated and admired. He stepped forward to wake her from whatever trance she had found herself in, but the flames curled towards him, their heat threatening to burn him. He couldn’t go any closer, so he stepped backwards.

“Robin…?”

She didn’t respond.

“Robin.”

Still, no response came from the tactician.

“Robin!” Libra’s voice cracked a little as he yelled, his voice unused to the loud volume.

Robin opened her eyes and Libra gaped. Red, he saw red. Her eyes had turned red as blood. For moments that felt years longer than it really was, the two stared at each other. Libra’s light brown eyes against Robin’s crimson ones, neither did anything.

Then she blinked and it ended, the fire disappearing as Robin sank back to the ground.

Libra ran close, faster than he ever had, touching his hand to her arm to make sure she was really there.

“R-Robin…?” He didn’t know what else to say.

She stayed silent for a moment before speaking. “Did you see it?”

Libra nodded, not confident enough in his voice.

“Wasn’t… Wasn’t it pretty?”

“Pretty? Robin, it’s killing you.”

“I know, I know. But, it can still be beautiful and be killing me, right?” Robin supposed that could be true, this certainly seemed to be the case right now. Grima’s power seemed ethereal, just not in the ways one might expect.

Libra, at a loss for words, didn't speak as Robin stood up, her height matching his own. “I have a checkup now? That’s why you’re here, correct? Let’s get going, then.”

The tactician began to walk off as if nothing had happened, as if she had just been sitting in the field the entire time. Libra found it quite a bit harder to move on from it. It hadn't been nothing, it was most definitely something.

That display may have been beautiful, that he couldn’t deny, but it had also filled him with a feeling of dread. He had known Robin would soon be dead, possessed, whatever it would be, he had told her himself, for Naga’s sake. He hadn’t expected it to be this soon, to be like this, and that threw him off. He had thought he had more time, just a little more time to tell her. Telling her now would be cruel, unnecessary. He’d have to keep his feelings inside and hope they went away now.

Robin stopped her walking and turned to look over her shoulder. “Are you coming?” she called back to the blond.

“Yes, of course,” Libra replied in his usual measured tone. Taking in one last deep breath to compose himself, he followed his tactician.

By the time the pair reached the sick bay, Libra had barely managed to catch up to her from behind. Turning to face her so he could say something, he paused as he saw the tears leaking from her eyes.

“Robin…?”

She sniffled, a sob coming out of her throat. “Yeah?”

“Is… Is something wrong?” She had seemed so okay before, what had gone wrong.

“I’m dying, Libra. I’m dying.”

Libra slowly rose his hand to wipe away Robin’s tears (like he should have) but Robin’s arm darted up to her face to wipe the moisture away. His hand returned to his side, not sure of what it should do.

“I don’t remember most of my life, and what I do know are things that I’ve only recently learned," she said. "I know what death is, in this war I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to avoid it.” The tears came faster now that she was speaking, letting it out.

“When you told me I would die soon, that I wouldn’t be alive much longer, I didn’t know what to think. And now that it’s so close, I’m scared. Once I’m gone, this army might fall apart. So many people have been relying on me and I'll just let them down. It’s…" she paused, unsure of what to say. "It’s not right, and it won’t be right. And it hurts a bit, you know? Because no matter what I do, I will be dead and that... that thing, Grima, will be here instead. And I just… I just… I can't...” She couldn’t continue, she didn’t have the words to convey what she felt.

Libra hesitated. He should have known, should have seen it coming, that Robin would feel like this. She didn’t care about her own life, she didn't think it mattered. Robin had already found herself scared of what would come after, of what she wouldn’t be there to stop.

He rose his hand to comfort her once more before realizing that honour didn’t belong to him (it never would). He opened the door to the infirmary and ushered Robin inside. A surprised looking Lissa and Maribelle stared at them, but the females rushed over to comfort the tactician in moments.

As the tactician cried, no sign of the tears stopping soon, Maribelle and Lissa tried to comfort her. Libra stood back and found himself struck with a thought that refused to leave him. Robin was pure, much too pure for this world and these issues. Closing the door behind him, he walked around the ladies and began to prepare for Robin's visit. If he could help Robin even the tiniest bit without overstepping his boundaries, he would do so. It was all he could want.

Robin cried into the night before she stopped, deciding that enough was enough. Crying wouldn't solve anything, so instead, she talked. She told the three her fears, her hopes and anything she could think of. They listened to her, allowing her to enjoy her time. They talked to her, letting Robin know she wasn't alone. 

As the moon rose in the sky, finally reaching its peak, the quartet's conversations came to a close.

"We all need rest," Robin said as everyone made to exit the infirmary, a warm smile on her face.

"Of course, darling," Maribelle replied. "Come along now, Lissa."

"Yep, sleep sounds pretty good right now," Lissa said, stifling a yawn as Maribelle dragged her away. "Goodnight!" 

"Sweet dreams!" Maribelle called behind her, not bothering to turn back.

"Good night!" Robin called out as the nobles vanished behind a corner. Turning to Libra, she nodded. "Thank you."

"For?"

"Everything." the tactician said as she turned away. "Good night!" 

Libra watched her leave. Her words were cryptic, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he focused on the way his heart hurt, on the phantom pain that resided there. As Robin disappeared, he closed his eyes and sighed. She'd still be there tomorrow, there was nothing (nothing at all) to worry about. His heart refused to stop twisting, so he ignored it. It would be fine, he reasoned, Robin would be fine.

Dawn had barely broken on the next day went things went as they wrong as they ever could have. Things were lit on fire, buildings collapsed, the air turned ashy grew thick with dust. Throughout it all, a fell dragon lifted itself above the city, and a body, its vessel, went with it. With a wave of its hand, the vessel smirked as the flames consumed the people, the houses, everything. No one couldn’t stop them, for they were Grima and they were all-powerful.

Within the hour, the capital of Ylisse became a pile of dust and debris. Once vibrant, the city had died. The Fell Dragon moved along, although no one was left to see it leave.

All was still.

**Author's Note:**

> I... don't have words for this one. It was supposed to be happy but then it went places and now here we are. Although, I will say I'm happy with how it got there. The blonde cleric trio + Robin are a dynamic I've wanted to work with for a while, and I'm glad I can say I've written something for them~ 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
